Three Britons confirmed dead in Egypt boat fire

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Three missing Britons who were on a diving boat that burst into flames in the Red Sea off the Egyptian coast have died.

A spokesperson for Scuba Travel confirmed the deaths, saying its guests perished when a medium-sized scuba diving boat, called Hurricane, went up in flames off the resort town of Marsa Alam on Sunday.

“It is with great regret that we, as tour operator, with heavy hearts, must accept that three of our much-valued dive guests, perished in the tragic incident. Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to their families and friends at this very sad time,” a spokesperson for Scuba Travel told Sky News.

The three passengers were among 15 qualified diving enthusiasts who were on a week’s stay onboard the boat when the fire broke out at about 8.30am local time (0630 BST).

The statement added: “At the time the fire broke out, 12 divers were participating in a briefing on board, while those missing had apparently decided not to dive that morning.”

A nearby craft was used to evacuate 12 divers and the 14 crew members also had to abandon ship after trying to reach the missing guests, according to Scuba Travel.

Egyptian authorities had earlier said that following an initial examination of the vessel it was found that “an electrical short circuit in the boat’s engine room sparked the blaze”.

A search party was launched to find the remaining three British tourists, whose identities have not been confirmed.

Egypt’s Red Sea resorts harbour some of the country’s most renowned beach destinations and are popular with European holidaymakers. It has cemented its reputation as a dive destination with easy access to coral reefs from shores and dive sites offering diverse marine life.

More details soon …